Weekly Health Update For The Week Of Monday, October 29th, 2012

Mental Attitude: Benefits of Green Tea.
Previous studies have shown that green tea consumption aids in both weight loss and lowering cholesterol levels. Green tea is full of anti-oxidants and has also been known to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, depression symptoms, wrinkles, the risk of high blood pressure. Green tea also benefits diabetics because it slows the rise of blood sugar after eating. A new study reveals that it may also benefit memory and spatial awareness. (Note: Green tea decaffeinated with CO2 retains as much as 95% of the original anti-oxidant levels. If the ethyl acetate process was used, only about 30% of the anti-oxidants will be retained.)
Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, September 2012

Health Alert: $750 Billion Lost A Year!
America's health care system is inefficient, suffers from data overload, and is both complex and costly. Each year, $750 billion (roughly $.35 per dollar spent) is wasted nationwide on inflated administration costs, fraud, and pointless services. These problems can also result in needless patient suffering and deaths.
Institute of Medicine. September 2012

Diet: Anorexia.
Patients with anorexia have trouble accurately judging their own body size, but not the bodies of others. In a test, when asked if they could pass through a doorway, anorexic patients felt they could not pass through the door even when it was easily wide enough. However, anorexic patients were more accurate at judging others' ability to pass through the doorway than their own. The study also found a correlation between the perception of the patients' own ability to pass through the aperture and their body size prior to becoming anorexic, suggesting that the patients may still think of themselves as their previous size.
PLOS ONE, August 2012

Exercise: The Elderly.
The benefits of exercise are positive for all seniors, including those who are considered frail. The advantages appeared after just three months and included increased cognitive and physical abilities, as well as increased quality of life.
Journals of Gerontology, August 2012

Chiropractic: Lack of Motion.
A joint that is not mechanically stimulated will atrophy, leading to degeneration. However, even passive motion (ex: someone else bending your leg for you) is beneficial to cartilage regeneration.
Arthritis Care and Research, 2006

Wellness/Prevention: Coconut Oil and Tooth Decay.
Digested coconut oil is able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay. The study found that enzyme-modified coconut oil strongly inhibits the growth of most strains of Streptococcus bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans (an acid-producing bacterium that is a major cause of tooth decay).
Society for General Microbiology, September 2012